Family members say a two-month-old boy survived Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, after being shielded by his parents.
Both parents, Jordan and Andre Anchondo, were killed in the mass shooting at an El Paso shopping centre.
Jordan’s sister, Leta Jamrowski, told The Associated Press that she died protecting her son from the hail of bullets.
Andre had also stepped in front of Jordan and the baby during the rampage, Monique Terry, who is Jordan’s cousin, told The Guardian.
Jamrowski is now tending to her nephew, who is at the University Medical Center of El Paso. She explained that the baby was not shot but is being treated for fractured bones, which he suffered when Jordan fell.
“From the baby’s injuries, they said that more than likely my sister was trying to shield him,” she said.
“When she got shot she was holding him and she fell on him, so that’s why he broke some of his bones. So he pretty much lived because she gave her life.”
Terry also described Jordan as “the light” of their family.
“She brightened up the room. Her laugh was contagious. She always put you in a better mood.
“She always saw the good in people.”
Terry said Jordan and Andre had just celebrated their first wedding anniversary and were the “perfect fit.”
Jordan and Andre were raising three children together and had dropped off their five-year-old daughter at cheerleading practice before going to shop for school supplies at Walmart on Saturday.
Terry said the older children have been asking for their mom and dad.
Jordan’s aunt, Elizabeth Terry, told CNN Jordan died in hospital alone, as the family had not yet learned of her whereabouts.
“It took us a while to confirm and identify her throughout all the chaos,” she said, adding that she didn’t learn of Andre’s death until Sunday.
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Koteiba “Koti” Azzam, a friend of Andre, recounted fond memories of him. Andre had recently turned his life around after struggles with drug dependence and run-ins with the law,
“I love the guy,” Azzam told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “He had the character and the charisma.”
Azzam said Andre had started a business in El Paso, building things from granite and stone, and made it successful through hard work. He also was on the verge of completing a home for his family.
The couple is among a total of 22 people who were killed in the shooting rampage over the weekend at a crowded Walmart. More than two dozen others were injured.
— With files from The Associated Press
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